Airports, Arrivals, Ausgänge… Oh my!

Hey y’all! It’s Bickert here. So I’m no stranger to traveling, I’ve traveled all over the US and been to several countries before traveling to my semester abroad. This was not my first time traveling by air, so I have some tips for you.

Let’s talk about long flights. So as you’ve probably heard, they’re not the most fun things in the world. In fact, it might be my most unfavorite thing I’ve ever done. And you tell yourself it’s totally worth it because your final destination is just within your reach. But below I’ve listed some of the essentials that you’ll need to make the most of your time.

First thing first, whatever will help you sleep. Now jet lag 101 CLEARLY states that you should sleep as much as you can on the plane, and then when arrive to your destination, stay up until your preferred bed time. Now for me, I took melatonin, a change of clothes, and a sweatshirt that doubled as a jacket and a pillow.Now you might be asking yourself, how did she sleep with so many people around you? Didn’t you get claustrophobic at all? The answer is absolutely, but an eye mask and soothing frank Sinatra definitely would help. Honestly pre-download a bunch of Netflix episodes or Spotify songs to last you. For me it was around 10, non-direct flight so ya girl was most definitely prepared.

The next thing I recommend is snacks. I brought unsalted almonds, granola bars, and an empty water bottle. Since you can’t get through airport security with liquids over 3oz and the airport water is ridiculously overpriced, I just filled it up before boarding. Also, on the plane, most stewards will fill it up for you as well! Try to avoid super salty snacks if you’re going to be on a plane for more than 4 hours at a time. My feet started swelling and it is so uncomfortable. 10/10 DON’T RECOMMEND.

The last thing I recommend is something non-electronic to play with/ read. *Nerd Alert* I read Harry Potter in German and wrote in my little journal. But you can bring anything that can keep you entertained without using an electronic device because there were times where the plane sat on the track and we weren’t allowed to use our electronics until we were at a certain altitude.